Illuminated Snowflake Ornament Tutorial

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• 

  Step 1

  Materials:
  — 3" Head Pins {6} Any conductive wire can be used—brass, nickel and copper jewelry wire works great.
  — Beads (with a large center-hole to fit head pin AND wire wrap wire)
  — Crimp Beads {6} *optional
  — 3 or 5mm LED
  — Wire Wrap Wire {12"} You can substitute wire wrap for any other thin insulated wire
  — Metallic Magnetic Jewelry Clasp
  — 3V Coin Cell Battery
  — Solder

  Tools
  — Needle-nose pliers
  — Wire cutter and stripper
  — Soldering Iron
  — Glue Gun

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  Step 2

  Design the Snowflake

  String the beads on the head pin, leaving at least 1/4" of the pin free on opposite end. If you have crimp beads handy, add a crimp bead at each end to prevent the beads from moving. Repeat four times, creating a total of 5 beaded pins.

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  Step 3

  Add the Battery Wire
  Cut the wire into one 8" and 4" piece. Strip 1" of wire off both ends.

  For the 6th pin, string the beads along the 8" wire AND pin. (If the center hole of a bead is too small to fit both the wire and pin, string the bead on the pin only.)

  This wire, along with the one of the head pins will be used to the LED to the coin cell battery.

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  Step 4

  Prepare LED
  Using wire cutters, trim the LED leads to about 1/2".

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  Step 5

  Solder the LED
  Insert the LED in between two beaded pins, one with the wire and one without the wire.

  If the LED lead fits, secure the lead inside the last bead of each pin, making sure the LED lead and pin overlap.

  Solder the LED lead to the beaded pin with the wire, making sure that you do NOT solder the wire accidentally. You will be soldering the wire to the opposite pin.

  Wrap the stripped end of the wire around the LED lead and pin (without wire). Solder, creating a nice solder joint.

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  Step 6

  Assemble the Snowflake
  Using a hot glue gun, glue the remaining four beaded pins symmetrically to the center of the LED.

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  Step 7

  Solder the First Magnetic Clasp

  Wrap one stripped end of the 4" wire around the loop of a magnetic clasp. Wrap the opposite end around the loop of the pin. Solder.

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  Step 8

  Solder the Second Magnetic Clasp

  Wrap the stripped end of the 8" wire around the loop of the remaining magnetic clasp. Solder.

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  Step 9

  Add Battery

  Congratulations! Your ornament is complete! Place the battery in between the two magnetic clasps and check to see if your LED light is on. If the LED does not turn on, flip the battery!

  Note: To turn the ornament off, simply flip the battery.

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